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Former Commerce Secretary John Bryson will not face criminal charges

U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson attends a session organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Mumbai on March 29, 2012. Bryson resigned in June after crashing into two cars. Punit Paranjpe/AFP/Getty Images

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The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office has declined to file charges against former Commerce Secretary John Bryson.

Bryson was involved in a string of car accidents on June 9 and the case was sent to the DA Monday afternoon.

According to the declination papers from the District Attorney's Office, no alcohol was found in Bryson's system. He did test positive for a small amount of Ambien, which is a sleep aid. The criminalist was unable to determine if Ambien was a factor in the crash. Instead, doctors apparently determined that Bryson suffered confusion due to a seizure, and probably crashed as a result.

According to San Gabriel police, Bryson was driving down South San Gabriel Blvd. around 5pm when he allegedly rear-ended a Buick that'd stopped for a train at a railroad crossing. Bryson got out to talk to the driver, but while pulling away, allegedly hit the car again. The three men in the Buick called 911 and followed Bryson, who then drove a few blocks into Rosemead and allegedly crashed into another car.

When police arrived at the second crash site, they found Bryson unconscious behind the wheel. Bryson was hospitalized and issued a citation for felony hit and run. Police sometimes issue citations instead of making arrests when the suspect needs medical attention.

Bryson stepped down from his post as Commerce Secretary two weeks later, citing medical issues.

As part of the investigation into the crashes, San Gabriel Police Sergeant Brian Kott said the department subpoenaed Bryson's medical records and conducted a toxicology test. That information was included in the packet sent to the DA.